Former councilman charged in traffic deaths

TNS Regional News
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Aug 31, 2014 at 8:07 AM

A former Ottawa village councilman was charged Friday with two counts of misdemeanor vehicular homicide over a crash that killed two women.

Each charge against Alan “Jeff” Ducey is a first-degree misdemeanor that carries a maximum penalty of six months in jail. Ducey is scheduled for an arraignment Sept. 9 in Putnam County municipal court.

Prosecutor Gary Lammers, who filed the charges, was unavailable for comment Friday. The charge alleges the deaths were the result of a traffic accident without any aggravated factors, such as alcohol usage.

The crash happened June 6 on state Route 65 near Road 9K in Ottawa Township. The 59-year-old Ducey was driving north on state Route 65 when he encountered stopped traffic. Christine Hayden, 62, of Columbus Grove, was driving south on state Route 65 approaching the intersection, the state patrol reported.

Ducey drove left of center to avoid hitting the stopped vehicles ahead of him and struck Hayden’s vehicle head-on. Hayden and a passenger, her 85-year-old mother, Joan Beam, of Columbus Grove, were both killed, the patrol reported.

Ducey was hurt in the crash but did not have life-threatening injuries.

Ducey issued an email to village officials resigning his seat just hours after the crash saying, “I am so sorry if I have brought any trouble.” He was elected in November and began his first term on council in January.

Christine Hayden’s husband, David Hayden, recently filed a lawsuit against Ducey and the Allen County Board of Developmental Disabilities seeking more than $25,000.

The lawsuit accuses Ducey of violating traffic laws while operating his vehicle leading to the collision. It said Ducey was operating the vehicle while he was working for the Allen County Board of Developmental Disabilities.